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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25039204">to thaw an icy heart</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/jcc_seo/pseuds/jcc_seo'>jcc_seo</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Ice Skating, Lee Taeyong is Whipped, M/M, Mutual Pining, Shy Lee Taeyong, Side Yuwin if you squint, Stressed Lee Taeyong, Suh Youngho | Johnny is Whipped, figure skating, ice hockey, slight tw/bruises</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 09:21:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,920</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25039204</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/jcc_seo/pseuds/jcc_seo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Lee Taeyong is a hockey player with a dream to make the national team and nothing was going to stop him, no distractions.<br/>Yet when he met Johhny Seo, a figure skater already on the national team, he began to think that maybe a little distraction wouldn't be worst thing in the world.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lee Taeyong/Suh Youngho | Johnny</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>83</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>to thaw an icy heart</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi there! </p><p>i wanted to preface this by saying that i am in no way an expert on either of these sports!<br/>I do play ice hockey though and I miss the rink, so that was my inspiration but  I really don't know much about figure skating so please don't come for me :/</p><p>I hope you enjoy and please tell me what you think!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The cold air hit Taeyong for the first time when he took off his hoodie in the changing room. He quickly slipped on his hockey jersey in an attempt to stay warm and the familiar material clung to his skin. When he picked up his skates he inspected the blades and realized that he really did need to get them sharpened but now was not the time. </p><p> After doing a final check that the laces of his boots were pulled taut and tied into double knots, he stood up, rolled his neck and shoulders, jumped a few times on the spot and deemed it a sufficient warm up. He was already late for practice and couldn’t afford to waste any more time. </p><p>Taeyong loved the way the ice felt under his skates, how he could glide over it, how he could move so quickly and freely. </p><p>He remembers the first time he went ice skating, no more than 6 years old, they had gone to the rink for his cousins birthday party. He was scared at first, as is everyone, but soon with the help of his older cousin's, and after a few falls, he was zooming around the rink. After that he had constantly begged his mother to take him back and she decided to sign him up for lessons that took place every second Saturday. Now, 19 years old, he spends almost every day at the rink. </p><p>Todays practice was tough, they did drills for the first hour and then fitness for the remainder of their session. This was expected though, national trials were coming up and a few members of their team were eligible to try out, including Taeyong, and they needed to be as fit and strong as possible. </p><p>Contrary to popular belief Taeyong was very strong and fit but his lean figure and thin frame often lead people to believe that he was too weak and small to be an ice hockey player. He had also learnt that he could use his small body to his advantage. He was quicker than most other players and he was able to snake his way through small gaps. He was reasonably well known by their competitors and he had been scouted by a few other teams but he didn’t intend on joining other clubs. </p><p>He was comfortable in his little, local rink. This rink was all he’d ever known and besides, the next closest one was about an hour out of town. It was a multi-purpose rink, shared between the hockey team, figure skaters and the public. But this rink, and his team, the Vipers, had done him well enough and had sufficiently trained him for national trial and he couldn’t ask for more. Besides, sometimes sharing with the figure skaters had its perks…</p><p>With the trials coming up Taeyong found himself spending even more time than usual at the rink. Just like tonight, long after practice had ended, he was still on the ice. He only stopped when he glanced at his watch and saw that it was 8pm. He knew Wednesday nights meant that the rink had to be used for a private session. </p><p>Taeyong stepped off of the ice with a sigh. His muscles aching slightly, from the hours of non-stop training, as he made his way towards the changing rooms. When he walked in he didn’t expect to see anyone else inside of the changing rooms. He must been too busy focusing on his own skating to notice them come in. </p><p>There stood Johnny Seo.  He was the current pride of their small town and the first one from this rink to make it onto a national team. Taeyong wondered why he still used this rink now when he could be with all the other figure skaters at the national training facilities. </p><p>Much like Taeyong, Johnny did not look like he belonged in his sport. He was tall, well over 6ft Taeyong thought, and much taller than your average figure skater. He was also extremely well built. His muscles, especially his sculpted chest and abs, could easily be seen through the tight white shirt that he was wearing. Not that Taeyong was looking. </p><p>They had never really conversed more than a greeting in passing but Taeyong sat down and pulled off his skates and grimaced at the dark blue marks forming on certain parts of his ankles caused by the slightly over tight tying of his laces, he was taken aback when he heard the other man speak, “you should really put some ice on that.”</p><p>Failing to show his surprise he stuttered, “o-oh, I-I will… thanks.”</p><p>They didn’t speak after that and by the time Taeyong was walking towards the exit Johnny was already on the ice. Before he left, Taeyong allowed himself only a moment to watch the figure skater. He couldn’t get distracted now. </p><p>*</p><p>The following day Taeyong arrived at the rink early. He knew, from experience, that at 10am on a Thursday the chance of someone else being there was slim, so he definitely wasn’t expecting anyone, let alone Johnny Seo, to be on the ice. </p><p>Taeyong watched over the barrier as the figure skater glided across the ice before he then set up, lifted himself up into the air, turned three times and landed on one foot. Taeyong was mesmerized by how effortless it looked and he thought that Johnny’s muscle strength may have come in handy when performing such moves.  </p><p>Only drawing his eyes when Johnny stopped to look at him; Taeyong felt a bit embarrassed that he had been caught staring. </p><p>Nevertheless he made his way towards the benches, threw his bag down and began to change into his skates. With no official practice happening he didn’t feel the need to put on his uniform and decided to forgo the change rooms. </p><p>When he stepped onto the ice he felt the familiar spark of excitement ignite within himself. He sped up and began to do laps of the rink, as a warm up, going slightly faster each time. After a few laps he deemed that he had sufficiently warmed up. </p><p>When he stopped at the far end of the rink he saw Johnny looking at him but unlike Taeyong had done earlier, the other man did not turn away. </p><p>Taeyong, feeling suddenly brave, also did not turn away, “is there something wrong?” he asked, feeling slightly betrayed that his voice quivered and didn’t hold his bravery.</p><p>Johnny didn’t even falter when he replied, “No, you’re just really fast.” </p><p>A small bout of pride bloomed in his chest, accompanied by a small blush forming on his cheeks. </p><p>“Erm… thanks,” was all he could muster before he turned away to get to practice but then he felt his second moment of bravery for the day and turned back towards the taller man.</p><p>“Actually, I kinda had a practice planned,” Taeyong scratched the back of his head, “I didn’t expect you to be here  but do you think we could maybe, um, split the rink? I’ll stay on this side and you stay that side?” </p><p>Johnny shot him a brilliant smile, “sure, no problem.” And it was now his turn to skate away. </p><p>Digging through the storage cupboard, Taeyong eventually found the cones and pucks he had been looking for. He also grabbed his stick from the bench before he re-entered the rink and began placing the cones around his side of the ice. He began running the drills he had planned earlier that day. </p><p>Every now and again he’d chance a glance at the other side of the rink to see what the other was up to and a few times he had thought that he had seen the figure skater watching him too. He didn’t let himself get distracted though, he needed to stay focused. </p><p>After about 5 hours and a few water breaks, Taeyong decided that he had practiced enough for today and besides, his back was really starting to hurt. He made a mental note to bath with Epsom salts, to relax his muscles, tonight. </p><p>It seemed that Johnny had also deemed his practice over because by the time Taeyong was putting his sneaker back on Johnny was doing the same. Checking his phone for the first time, Taeyong got distracted by a text from his mom. </p><p>Without thinking he threw his big bag over his shoulder and he let out a gasp when he felt it hit something behind him. When he turned around his blood ran cold as he saw Johnny bent over holding his nose. </p><p>“I’m so sorry!” Taeyong exclaimed as he tried to move toward the other to check if he was okay, “sorry, sorry, sorry,” he kept repeating.</p><p>Johnny began to laugh, “Dude don’t worry, I’m just kidding.” </p><p>“That’s not funny,” but as much as he wanted to feel angry, Taeyong couldn’t help think how sweet Johnny’s laugh was. </p><p>Johnny walked past him and opened the exit door, motioning his head in a way that told Taeyong to go first. </p><p>“Thanks”</p><p>“No problem,” again Johnny’s smile was brilliant. </p><p>With that they went their separate ways and Taeyong made his way to his car. Once inside he took a deep breath followed by a big sigh, finally feeling like he could relax with no one else watching him.</p><p>He had to admit that maybe Johnny Seo was a little cute. </p><p>*</p><p>The week passed and Taeyong continued his training. Regardless if it was an organized team practice or his on his own, Taeyong was at the rink every day. He had expected to run into Johnny again but he didn’t see him.</p><p>Part of him was hoping that when he came to the rink on that Thursday morning that the figure skater would be swooping along the ice like last week. When Taeyong didn’t see him he tried to supress the disappointment he felt. Why was he so disappointed to not see someone he barely knew anyway?</p><p>Once on the ice, Taeyong began his normal warm up of a few speed laps. Feeling particularly stiff today, he decided to do more than he usually would in hopes that it would ease the strain in his muscles if he was more warmed up. </p><p>When he stopped to catch his breath he let out a little yelp when he saw someone standing in front of him. </p><p>Johnny laughed, “are you okay?”</p><p>“Oh uh sorry, yeah I didn’t uh see you come in,” Taeyong didn’t even try hide the nerves in his voice.</p><p>Johnny let out a little chuckle before he said,  “same as last week?”</p><p>Confused Taeyong spluttered, “sorry, what?”</p><p>“Do you want to split the ice like last week?” Johnny shook his head slightly at the end. </p><p>“Oh yes, that sounds good.”</p><p>Taeyong began to carry on with his practice. Today he wanted to focus on speed and agility. He was going full speed ahead, moving between the cones when he made one wrong move and fell backwards. Before he could stop himself his head hit the ice. He lay there for a moment, trying to will the pain in his head away. </p><p>The next thing he knew Johnny was crouching next to him, “are you okay?” </p><p>Taeyong thought he might have heard genuine concern in his voice.</p><p>Full of embarrassment he sat up and let out a soft, “I’m fine thanks.”</p><p>Johnny took his hand to help him up and Taeyong felt a few butterflies in his stomach.  Followed by the embarrassment falling.  </p><p>“You sure you’re okay?”</p><p>“Yes,” Taeyong felt slightly taken aback by the harshness of his own voice. </p><p>When he saw the slight hurt look on Johnny’s face he was quick to apologise, “I’m sorry, I’m just… my head does kinda hurt.” </p><p>“Okay, let’s go sit down and I’ll get you some painkillers.” </p><p>Once Taeyong was seated on the bench, Johnny walked over to his bag and dug out a bottle of pain killers. He then walked back over to Taeyong and dropped the pills in his hand before he sat down next to the hockey player. </p><p>Taeyong took the medication and tilted his head back until it was resting on the back of the bench. He closed his eyes and they sat in silence for a while.</p><p>“Thank,” it came out more as a whisper.</p><p>“No problem.”</p><p>After a few more minutes Taeyong made a move to stand and get back onto the ice but was stopped by Johnny holding onto his arm. He turned around to look at the other boy still sitting on the bench.</p><p>“Woah, where are you going?” confusion was riddled in Johnny’s voice.</p><p>“Erm… back to practice?”</p><p>Johnny shook his head, “I don’t that is such a good, you took a pretty hard knock” </p><p>“I’m a hockey player, that’s what we do and then we get back up,” Taeyong sighed and shook his hand free, “trials are coming up soon and I have to practice.”</p><p>“Just sit down for a while, practice can wait,” and there it was again, that bright smile.</p><p>Somehow the words compelled him to return to his seat. </p><p>“You can go back to what you were doing,” Taeyong look at the other man, “you don’t have to baby sit me.”</p><p>“But I like it here.”</p><p>There were those damn butterflies again. Keep it together Taeyong, no distractions now. After another few moments Johnny spoke again.</p><p>“Why hockey? I don’t mean it in a bad way, just looking at you, you just don’t look like you really belong with all  those big guys.”</p><p>Taeyong looked at the man in confusion, “you’re one to talk, you’ve got to be the buffest figure skater ever,” he cocked his eyebrow in a mocking way.</p><p>Johnny raised his hands in surrender, “you got me there.” </p><p>They shared a moment of laughter and the atmosphere was less tense than before. </p><p>“Okay, but seriously, why hockey?” Johnny asked once they had stopped laughing.</p><p>“Well actually, my mom signed me up for classes when I was a kid and I guess they expected me to get…ya know… bigger.”</p><p>“And you just stuck with it?” Johnny asked.</p><p>“yeah, it has too much of a special place in my heart for me to ever quit,” Taeyong smiled softly to himself, he really did love his sport.</p><p>“I see,” Johnny drew out his words as he nodded. </p><p>“And you,” it was now Taeyong’s turn to ask, “why do you do figure skating?” </p><p>“Actually a similar reason to you. When I was a kid I always dreamed of being a figure skater but I grew really tall,” Johnny chuckled to himself as he spoke, “now I just wanna break stereotypes, I’ve made it this far without having the,” he made air quotes with his fingers “  ‘correct physique’ and I want to keep defying the odds.” </p><p>Taeyong could help but feel slightly dazed by how insightful the other man was. </p><p>“Ahh I see,” after another moment Taeyong spoke again, “you’ve already made nationals, what’s next”</p><p>“Olympic trials are at the end of the year, if I keep going the way I am then I should qualify,” Johnny had no humour in his voice and Taeyong knew he was serious. </p><p>“Wow… you’re really trying for the Olympics?” Taeyong was amazed at how much he was learning about the figure skater and he certainly wasn’t at all like Taeyong had thought. He was thoughtful and ambitious, not a cocky know-it-all. </p><p>“Dream big, Taeyong,” </p><p>At the sound of his name pass over the others lips he felt suddenly giddy but he tried to hide his emotion when he spoke again, “right now I just want to make the national team.” </p><p>“And you will,” Johnny said smiled, “I’ve seen you and you’re really good.” </p><p>“But am I good enough?’ Taeyong sighed.</p><p>“Doubting yourself will get you nowhere,” Johnny’s tone was serious, “you gotta believe in yourself for things to happen.” </p><p>They fell into silence again for a little while.</p><p>“Actually I wanted to ask you,” Johnny spoke while looking directly at Taeyong, “you’re a speed skater right?”</p><p>“Well technically speed skating is its own sport,” Taeyong chanced a small smile at the other man.</p><p>Johnny rolled his eyes playfully, “I know that but what I mean is that you’re fast on the ice?”</p><p>“Yeah, you could say that.”</p><p>“I need to learn to be quicker on the ice,’ Johnny paused, almost like he was collecting his words, “do you think you could help me?” </p><p>Taeyong choked on air. This could not be real, Johnny was the best in the town and he was asking Taeyong for help. Taeyong was in shock.</p><p>“Me? Really? Are you sure?” Taeyong didn’t even try hide his surprise, “you’re like, the best in town”</p><p>“Yeah, you seem like you know what you’re doing but I can ask someone else to help me if you don’t want to?” Johnny tilted his head to the side as he spoke.</p><p>“No, its fine, I’ll help you.” </p><p>They decided to meet next week at the same time and Taeyong made a mental note to sharpen his skates before that. He couldn’t make a fool of himself again. </p><p>Neither of them got back on the ice after that, opting to call it a day as it was already well passed 2 in the afternoon. </p><p> Taeyong took his skates off again to be greeted by the purple bruises that littered   his ankles from weeks ago that were still there. </p><p>“How tight do you tie your laces?” His voice was rather soft and Taeyong was slightly startled by it. </p><p>“Oh I know, it’s a bad habit of mine,” Taeyong laughed awkwardly, “don’t worry, I’m used to it.” </p><p>‘Please put some ice on them when you get home,” Johnny’s gaze was gentle, “and start taking care of yourself, you’ve gotta have a healthy body to keep skating.” </p><p>Taeyong left the rink feeling lighter that day, He can’t remember the last time he felt this stress free. Maybe having a little distraction wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.</p><p>*</p><p>Taeyong woke feeling nervous that morning and, feeling rather queasy, decided to skip breakfast. He didn’t really know why he was so nervous, it was just speed skating and he knew that was the one thing he was good at.  And it was just Johnny...</p><p>When Taeyong arrived at the rink, Johnny was already there and stretching. Taeyong marvelled at how flexible his body was. How he effortlessly he could bend himself in ways Taeyong could never imagine. </p><p>Johnny stretched into a flat split and Taeyong was amazed, “you might have to teach me how to do that one day.”</p><p>Johnny laughed, “can you even touch your toes?”</p><p>Taeyong pouted at him playfully, threw his bag down and bent forward to touch his fingertips to his toes without bending his knees. </p><p>“See I can do it,” he said as he stood up but groaned when the muscles in his legs protested from the stretch.</p><p>“That’s a good start,” Johnny was now sitting on the bench and unlacing his skates so that he could put them on. </p><p>Taeyong began to do the same but was stopped before he could pull his laces taut, “can I try tying them for you?”</p><p>“uhh sure, just, I don’t like when they feel loose. They need to be tight.”</p><p>“Got it,” Johnny crouched in front of him and began tying his laces. When he was finished he clapped his hands on either side of the skate he was currently holding, “all ready to go.” </p><p>“I’m just gonna do a few laps to warm up, if that’s okay with you,” Taeyong said as he stood up.</p><p>“No problem, I’ll meet you on the ice.” </p><p>Once he stepped foot on the ice Taeyong was pleasantly surprised to find that the skates felt snug against his feet but the pain he usually felt, from the bruising, was no longer there.</p><p>He turned to look at Johnny, who had just stepped onto the ice, and shouted to him, “how did you tie these!” </p><p>“Figure skater trick, I’ll show you later!” Johnny shouted back at him. </p><p>Once Taeyong had warmed up he moved over to Johnny and they began to talk through exactly what Johnny wanted.</p><p>“I just need to get quicker, I feel like I’m too slow and some extra speed wouldn’t do me any harm.”</p><p>“Okay well, let’s see what you got,” Taeyong looked up at him, “I’ll race you, to that side and back” </p><p>When they set off, Taeyong went as fast as he possible could and by the time he had finished, Johnny had just reached the first side. </p><p>When Johnny had made it back he looked at Taeyong in disbelief, “you’re insane.” </p><p>Taeyong tried to supress his blush, “thanks…” after a moment he spoke again, “let’s get back to it. I want you to do a lap, full out.” </p><p>When Johnny had done his first lap and returned to Taeyong, he was told to go again… and again, and again. Until Taeyong had watched him enough and knew what he needed to help him with. </p><p>Taeyong began to correct the other and give him drills to run and things to practice. They went at it for a few hours and then decided to break for a while. When they were seated on the benches, Taeyong stomach let out a growl. Feeling betrayed by his own stomach he crossed his arms over it. </p><p>“Have you eaten today?” Johnny looked at him in the eyes as he spoke and Taeyong found it hard to lie,</p><p>“Not really but I’m fine, don’t worry.”</p><p>“That’s not good, its past lunch and you haven’t eaten anything.</p><p>

“Well, I, uhh,” Taeyong scratched the back of his head.</p><p>“Let’s go grab a bite, I know this café just around the corner,” Johnny shot him another one of his smiles.</p><p>“Oh no, I should really keep training,” but Taeyong knew his protest was futile when Johnny looked him in the eyes again, “okay, I mean, maybe I should eat something.” </p><p>“Great!” Johnny clapped his hands and began taking off his skates. </p><p>*</p><p>The café was quaint and had a homey feel to it. They were seated at a table and Johnny spoke first, “they make such good coffee here.”</p><p>Taeyong felt himself recoil slightly, “I actually don’t drink coffee.”</p><p>Johnny gasped, clutches his hands over his heart and put on the most betrayed expression he could muster, “how could you betray like this.”</p><p>They both began to laugh and then the waiter came to take their order. Taeyong had a hot cocoa and Johnny an Americano. They also ordered a slice of cake each.</p><p>They commenced in some small talk and Taeyong learnt that Johnny was planning on moving to the city before the end of the year so that he could train with the professionals before Olympic trials. And Taeyong told him that if he got into the national team then he would also move to the city. </p><p>When their food and drinks arrived Taeyong immediately dug his fork into his cake and let out a pleasant sigh when the food hit his tongue.</p><p>“Maybe I was hungrier than I thought,” he admitted shyly and Johnny let out a small chuckle.</p><p>When Johnny picked up his coffee he took a sip and then said to Taeyong, “just try a sip, its seriously amazing.” </p><p>Hesitantly, Taeyong took the cup and involuntarily gagged as soon as the bitter liquid hit his tongue, “that’s so gross. How do you even drink this stuff?”</p><p>“Like this,” Johnny said mockingly and took a big swig of his coffee, making sure his swallow was followed by a lip smack and an, “ahhhh”</p><p>After they had finished their eats they fell into more conversation. Taeyong decided that not only was Johnny Seo cute, he was also intelligent and thoughtful and in essence Taeyong might have developed feelings for the figure skater.</p><p>Just before they finally parted ways that day, Johnny gave Taeyong his phone number.</p><p>*</p><p>About a month passed since their day at the café and they continued to see each other at the rink. Often they would even check if the other would be at there. </p><p>When they met in the mornings Johnny would bring coffee for himself and cocoa for Taeyong. Sometimes Taeyong would bring some baked goods that he made.</p><p>Taeyong continued to help Johnny sometimes but for the most part he had majorly improved in his speed.</p><p>Johnny had shown Taeyong that skating could still be fun even though he had a goal. They spent many days messing around on the ice and once or twice Johnny even tried to teach Taeyong some figure skating stuff. Taeyong always failed though and Johnny found it quite amusing. </p><p>Taeyong found he spent even more time at the rink and he didn’t know if that was possible. </p><p>*</p><p>On Sunday evening Taeyong had team practice in the late evening but he had agreed to meet Johnny at the rink before that.</p><p>When Taeyong arrived he went to the change room and saw Johnny in a sparkly purple outfit and couldn’t believe how good he looked in it. His muscles could easily be seen through the tight material and the dark purple shade complimented his skin tone brilliantly. </p><p>“That looks good,” Taeyong said to the other man.</p><p>“Oh thanks, my coach wanted me to try it on,” Johnny threw his arm over Taeyong shoulder and pulled him into a slight side hug as a greeting.</p><p>Johnny took off the top of the outfit and no matter how hard Taeyong tried, he couldn’t tear his eyes away. He knew the man was well built but he could never have imagined how defined and chiselled he was. </p><p>“Like what you see?” Johnny asked when he saw Taeyong was staring. </p><p>Embarrassed, Taeyong immediately lowered his head, “sorry I didn’t mean-“</p><p>“Don’t worry about it ,” Johnny did not seem embarrassed in the slightest.</p><p>Taeyong tried to find some of Johnny’s confidence as he slipped off his own shirt to replace it with his hockey jersey.</p><p>Taeyong was embarrassed about how skinny he was but more so he was self-conscious of how bruised and battered his body was from the knocks and falls of hockey.   </p><p>Before he could finish pulling his jersey over his head, he was stopped when Johnny’s cold hand ghosted over the marks on his back.</p><p>“Is this from hockey?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Taeyong replied sullenly. He had expected Johnny to press further but he didn’t.</p><p>Instead he asked about the number on the back of his jersey, “why 00?”</p><p>“Well, people say I’m impossible to catch, so I went with a number you can’t really have,” he had never explained this to anyone before and he felt a little silly now that he had said it out loud, “it’s dumb… I know.”</p><p>“No, I think it’s cute.” </p><p>When Taeyong sat down to put on his skates he remembered what he’d been meaning to ask for a while now, “do you remember that day you tied my laces?” Johnny nodded, “do you think you could show me how you did it?”</p><p>“Of course,” Johnny crouched in front of Taeyong, “so you just-“</p><p>But Taeyong wasn’t listening at him, he was looking at how soft his features were. Studying the way his plump lips moved with every word that he spoke. </p><p>Johnny looked up when he could feel that Taeyong was not paying attention and their eyes locked. Johnny gently reached his hand up to cup Taeyongs cheek before he drew him down. Their lips connected and Taeyong felt his insides ignite. </p><p>Their first kiss was chaste. Gentle as they tested the waters. When they drew apart Johnny continued to look at Taeyong.</p><p>“Is this okay?” His voice was the softest Taeyong had ever heard it.</p><p>This time Taeyong bent forward to place a kiss on the other man’s lips before Johnny came out of his crouch to stand up and bring Taeyong with him. </p><p>With a better angle this kiss was not as gentle. Taeyong’s hands rested on Johnny’s shoulders as their bodies were pressed close together by the firm hand Johnny had placed on the small of Taeyongs back. </p><p>“I like you Taeyong, and I want to be with you.” </p><p>“I like you too, Johnny Seo.”</p><p>They stayed there, for a while, in each other’s embrace. Taeyong didn’t know what his future held but right now he knew that he was secure and this was the first time that he had felt this way in a while</p><p> Eventually Taeyong pulled away, “we have hockey training now, you should probably go before this turns into a game of 20 questions with me team”.</p><p>“You’re right,” Johnny made to grab his belonging’s, “I’ll speak to you later.”</p><p>Before leaving, Johnny placed one final peck on Taeyongs lips. </p><p>That practice was the best practice Taeyong had had in a while. He scored multiple goals in the practice match and perfected a few skills that he had been trying to get for a while. All the while he couldn’t stop smiling and thinking about how Johnny Seo, the towns pride and joy, was his.</p><p>After practice the team was in the change room and Taeyongs happiness had not gone unnoticed. </p><p>“What up with you?” Jaehyun, one of his closest friends and captain of their team, asked him, drawing the attention of some other team members.</p><p>“Nothing,” Taeyong tried to shrug it off but couldn’t hide his slight blush. </p><p>“Look at him,” this time it was Mark who spoke, “he’s blushing!”</p><p>“I bet it’s a boy,” Jaehyun threw back. </p><p>A chorus and oohs and ahhh echoed through the change room and Taeyong had to concede.</p><p>“Fine, he’s a figure skater,” his smile grew impossibly wider.</p><p>“No way! Taeyongs getting figure skater ass,” Haechan, the youngest of their team, chimed in. </p><p>“I bet it’s that blonde one who’s always here,” Kun spoke this time.</p><p>“Sicheng? I swear Taeyong I will kill you,” Yuta shot him a death glare as he spoke, “you know I have a thing for him” </p><p>“No, it’s not Sicheng,” Taeyong felt proud to speak his next words, “its Johnny Seo.”</p><p>“No way,” Jaehyun looked flabbergasted, “that buff guy on the national team. He’s so hot.” </p><p>“He’s also really sweet,” Taeyong felt the need to add.</p><p>“He’s a figure skater, they’re all stuck up,” Mark spoke up.</p><p>“Not this one, he’s different.” </p><p>*</p><p>Another month passed and they had grown almost inseparable. They even began to stay and watch each other’s private sessions now. But their second favourite place to be remained the café where they spent that day together.</p><p>They had become more comfortable showing their relationship to others. Taeyong will never forget the day they were skating together and decided to kiss on the ice. Only for Jaehyun to arrive and let out an over exaggerated gag. Jaehyun had never let him live it down and it had become a running joke amongst the team. </p><p>All the positivity in his life aside, Taeyong couldn’t stop the all-consuming anxiety that he felt. The national trials were next week. The trials would take place in the form of a match, against their toughest competitor, and judges would watch the match and see who they felt fit for the national team. It was also the last game of the season and would determine the winner of the league. At least they were playing at home.</p><p>The week leading up to the big game, Taeyong was practicing for sometimes over 12 hours a day and Johnny was getting extremely concerned. But he tried to be as supportive as possible by staying at the rink with Taeyong while he practiced, making sure he ate and drank enough, ensuring that he took his vitamins to keep his immune system up and most importantly making sure Taeyong knew that he was loved no matter what.</p><p>On the night before the trials Johnny pulled the plug early. Taeyong was running a drill for what must have been the 100th time that day when Johnny skated up to him and gently took his stick out of his hands; replacing it with a kiss to the top of both hands.</p><p>“Why don’t you go home and get some sleep,” Johnny’s voice was nothing but gentle, “you’ve done all you can and now you need to be well rested for tomorrow.”</p><p>“Honestly, I’m so nervous I don’t think I’ll even be able to sleep.” </p><p>“How about this, we go back to your apartment. I’ll make you dinner and spend the night,” Johnny cradled his fingers through the hair at the nape of Taeyongs neck, “and if we must, then I’ll even go through some of the plays for tomorrow with you.”</p><p>Taeyong couldn’t lie to himself, that did sound extremely appealing right now, “okay,” was all he managed.</p><p>Johnny was like Taeyong's anti-anxiety and that’s exactly what he needed right now.</p><p>*</p><p>Taeyong woke up feeling nauseous with nerves. He couldn’t help the shake in his hands as he got showered and dressed for the day.</p><p>His nerves lessened slightly when he walked down stairs and saw Johnny, already dressed and ready, frying eggs on the stove and a cup of coffee set next to him.</p><p>“Morning, love,” Johnny’s smile shone.</p><p>“Morning,” Their lips locked in a sweet kiss. </p><p>“Let’s eat and then well head over,” Johnny ran his hand through Taeyongs hair, “don’t give me that look, you have to eat”</p><p>Taeyong sighed in defeat, knowing he wouldn’t win this battle.</p><p>*</p><p>The rink was full of spectators today, after all it was the biggest match of the season and not much happened in this town anyway. </p><p>Much like Johnny had painted black and green stripes on his cheeks, many of the other spectators had worn the colours  of the team they were suppoting.</p><p>Johnny had asked Sicheng, who arrived earlier that day with Yuta, to save him a seat in the front.  Once they reached that seat Johnny squeezed Taeyongs hand and placed a kiss on his forehead. </p><p>“Listen to me,” Johnny’s voice was soft yet serious, “you’re going to do your best and that’s all you can do. And remember, regardless of the outcome, I am proud of you and I love you.”</p><p>They had never said they loved each other before. Taeyong felt so overwhelmed with emotion that a tear ran down his cheek. </p><p>“Shh,” Johnny cooed and whipped the tear away with his thumb, “you’re going to do amazing,” he kissed his lips this time, “go knock ‘em dead” </p><p>And with that Taeyong nodded in determination and he was off to join the rest of the team. </p><p>*</p><p>By the end of the second period, Taeyong was exhausted and in a lot of pain. The other team did not come to mess around. They were being vicious and Taeyong had been tackled a few times. He was sure he had cracked a tooth and his lip was bleeding from the giant cut in the middle of it. The score was tied 2 to 2. </p><p>“Okay guys,” Jaehyun said after he spat out his gum guard, “they want to play dirty, so we’ll play dirty too.”  </p><p>Everyone mumbled in agreement.</p><p>Jaehyun continued, “Yukhei and Kun, don’t be scared to bump them up a little, the umpire clearly doesn’t care about that.” </p><p>They nodded, signalling that he understood and Jaehyun continued to give the instructions on how everyone should play the last period. </p><p>“Taeyong, I’m going to need you to start working some of your magic dude,” Jaehyun shot him a semi sympathetic smile, “I know you’re doing you best but… we need you to start stealing the puck away from them.”</p><p>Taeyong nodded, “yes chief.”</p><p>They heard the buzzer to signal the start of period and they all started walking back towards the ice, after they did their team cheer.  </p><p>Get your head in the game, Taeyong thought to himself. He knew that the next 20 minutes could change his life and he needed to play not only for his team but also for himself.</p><p> As soon as the whistle blew to signal the start of the period he was off, he was going full speed ahead. Years of hard work lead up to this moment.</p><p>He began to snake his way through the players of the other team and kept stealing the puck away from them and passing it to his own team. This is what he was good at and he needed to keep doing it.</p><p>17 minutes into the round and neither team had scored yet. Taeyong sped towards a member of the apposing team, in an attempt to steal the puck again, but was stopped dead in his tracks when he was push into the banister. His head flew against the plastic and he was thankful that his helmet was there to soften the blow. </p><p>“FOUL!” He heard Haechan yell at the referee.</p><p> The crowd seemed to agree as they began to boo and Taeyong saw Johnny stand up to boo too. Taeyong smiled to himself knowing that Johnny was rooting for him. </p><p>The referee blew his whistle to signal that their team had been awarded a penalty shot and the crowd cheered. </p><p>The team huddled in the middle of the ice and Mark was the first one to speak, “I think Taeyong should take the free hit,” </p><p>“I agree,” Yuta said and shot Jaehyun a look, “captain, it’s your call?”</p><p>“You up for it?” Jaehyun directed his question to Taeyong.</p><p>“I guess it’s now or never,” Taeyong said and he heard Johnny’s voice in the back of his mind telling him to go big or go home.</p><p>They broke the huddle and saw that the other team had already set themselves up for the shot. Taeyong moved towards the puck. He wiped the nervous sweat off of his hands and onto his pants. Now that his grip was better on his stick he willed the slight shake out of his hands.</p><p>He aligned his stick and hit the puck. Everyone watched with bated breath as the puck passed by the defender and the keeper and into the goal. The whistle blew, signalling the point had been awarded, and Taeyong felt the relief wash over him as he let out a exasperated gasp.</p><p>The crowd erupted in cheers and Taeyong was engulfed in a group hug, that turned into more of a dog pile. </p><p>“That’s my boy!” He heard Jaehyun say above all the clamour and commotion. </p><p>They had been given 4 extra minutes of time and Jaehyuns only instruction was to defend and defend they did.</p><p>When the final whistle was blown Taeyong threw off his helmet and collapsed onto the ice. They had done it, they had won. He pushed through the crowd until he found Johnny who held him in the biggest bear hug. </p><p>“Well done baby,” He whispered into Taeyongs, rather sweaty, hair. </p><p>“Now’s the scary part,” Taeyong said when he realized that the judges still had to announce who had made the national team. </p><p>Taeyong went back to the change room to rid himself of all his padding and when he came back out he saw Johnny sitting with Sicheng and a few other members of his team. </p><p>“I called him over to sit with us for the announcements,” Kun said with a small wink. </p><p>“Hi,” Taeyong said softly before they sat down as the announcer began to speak. Johnny took Taeyongs hand in his.</p><p>“Good evening everyone,” the announcer started, “I would like to commend all those who played tonight, it was truly a wonderful game to watch. As you know a total of 14 players are chosen for our national team and I will be announcing them now.” </p><p>Taeyong stiffened next to Johnny and Johnny began to rub small circles on the back of Taeyongs hand. </p><p>The announcer continued, “3 players selected play for neither of these team but their excellence shone through. They are: Park Jisung, Lee Jeno and Liu Yangyang” The crowd applauded politely, “ next I will announce those who played today, if your name is called please make your way onto the ice.” </p><p>Some players from the other teams names were called, including their captain, Kim Doyoung. There were 6 spaces left now. </p><p>“ From the Vipers team I would like to award a position to the following; Nakomota Yuta, Qian Kun, Mark Lee, Lee Donghyuck, Jung Jaehyun and Lee Taeyong.” </p><p>Taeyong was in disbelief. He didn’t even move until Johnny lifted him up by his hand. Taeyong was so excited that he jumped up onto Johnny so that Johnny was lifting him off the group completely, his legs wrapped around Johnny’s waist and locked their lips. </p><p>“May Lee Taeyong, number 00, please make their way onto the ice.”</p><p>“I think you have to go,” Johnny whispered into their kiss before he lowed Taeyong back onto his feet. </p><p>He walked onto the ice and stood with the other members of his new team. He had done it. Everything he had worked for, he had achieved and he couldn’t wipe the smile off of his face. </p><p>After the photographer had taken photos, he walked back into the crowd and saw Yuta and Sicheng involved in a rather heated kiss. Once he had found Johnny he intertwined their fingers.</p><p>Johnny lent down slightly to whisper in his ear, “so you’re moving to the city with me?”</p><p>Taeyong turned to look at his lover, “I can’t wait.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hope you enjoyed! I might make a sequel to this...</p><p>Please leave a kudos and a comment (i really like comments) </p><p>Come interact with me on <a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/suhpervillain">twitter</a><br/>or drop me a <a href="https://curiouscat.me/johhny_suh">CC</a><br/>I promise I’m nice :D</p></blockquote></div></div>
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